Road to Soldier
by guarded lover
Summary: This Fic is about Cloud's journey to becoming a soldier. This is his first year at Shinra. Cloud/Zack Cloud/Mik Zack/Maddox
1. Whoa Shinra

Road to Soldier

Chapter 1

"Dream"

***DISCLAIMER***NONE OF THE CHARACTERS IN THIS FICTION BELONG TO ME. THIS IS A WORK OF PRAISE AND ADMIRATION TO THOSE WHO CREATED THESE WONDERFUL CHARACTERS.

"I've had it!" Cloud rushed toward his father, not really knowing what he was going to do, only that he was enraged and wasn't going to let this abuse go on any longer. Reaching his father Cloud grabbed him by the neck and raised him off of the floor. Cloud's eyes glowed with the well known green tint of a mako enhanced soldier. Furious and out of control Cloud began to choke the life out of his father. Slowly his face turned a deep red, then to a blue, and finally to a bruised purple, and just as Cloud's father took his last breath, the last dying gasp of a defeated tyrant, he disappeared.

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`Cloud woke up suddenly covered in sweat and breathing heavily. "What the hell." It was the same dream he had had for the past month and it always ended the same; his father disappearing. What the hell did it mean? Taking a shaky breath Cloud stood up, knowing that going back to sleep was completely out of the question. His first night at ShinRa's training facilities for soldier wannabes and the dreams still came. This was suppose to be his escape from all of that.

`Slowly Cloud walked across the small shared room to the door and opened it quietly as to not wake up his roommate. Cloud walked down the hall to the only bathroom on floor D, where he was located. Walking up to the mirror he glared at the person he saw staring back at him. His blonde perfectly spiked hair stood in its many untamable directions, his entrancing sapphire blue eyes sparkled in spite of his current distress. Cloud frowned. He wasn't what most would take for a soldier trainee. He was medium height and skinny. He had muscles of course but they weren't enough to make themselves visible. What had he been thinking to become a soldier? Cloud ran his hand threw his hand in distress. An escape mostly. Life at home with his parents was more than he, or even the great Sephiroth could handle. He had done the only logical thing he thought he could do, and that was to run away. He turned on the water in the sink and splashed water on his face. One thing was for sure, those dreams weren't going anywhere anytime soon. Cloud turned off the water and looked up only to be startled by his roomate standing behind him a ways. Cloud sighed deeply, "Shit Zack! You scared me half to death." Zack chuckled and went into the stall, "Well, it wasn't that hard blondie." Zack took the time to relieve himself and came out of the stall to the sink next to Cloud. "Strife. I'm only telling you this cause we're roommates and I guess sooner or later we're going to have to become friends and watch out for each other; you look like hell." Zack chuckled and washed his hands, glancing up at the blonde to catch his reaction. Cloud just rolled his eyes. "Thanks Zack. You always know just what to say." From the moment Cloude had arrived at ShinRa and met his roommate, Zack had been very blunt. "Well you know just doing my job. Looking out for the newbie," said Zack as he turned and started to walk out of the bathroom, " are you coming back to the room or are you gonna just stand there looking at yourself in the mirror?" Cloud blinked quickly. Zack was right, he did look pretty bad. "Yeah, I'm coming," Cloud replied as he turned from the mirror, " but I don't think going to bed is something I'm gonna be able to do." "Suit yourself Blondie. As long as you're not disturbing my sleep I'm ok with that. I wouldn't recommend it though. Training starts tomorrow and you're gonna need every little ounce of energy you can muster, trust me."

`Cloud and Zack made their way back to their room. As they both crawled back into their separate beds, Zack mumbled goodnight and was soon back to sleep. Cloud however still couldn't shake the uneasy feelings. Cloud lay there in his bed for most of the night, well what was left of it, and replayed the dream in his head over and over again until he finally drifted into a restless sleep.

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Author's Note

Hi! This is my first story and I'm really excited about it. The beginning is pretty slow but I'm still trying to work out everything in my head. I'm gonna have a mix of all the Final Fantasies so be ready! Thanks for taking the time to read my fiction and leave reviews if moved to do so. Next Chapter coming soon.


	2. It Just Keeps Getting Better

Chapter 2

It Just Keeps Getting Better

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Cloud woke with a start. That same damn dream. He sat up slowly, rubbing the crust from his eyes sleepily. He hadn't gotten much sleep on account of his reoccurring nightmare and judging by the faint glow coming from the window he hadn't been sleeping for very long either. As his eyes adjusted to the light in the room, Cloud heard Zack stir from his bed on the other side of the room muttering something about water balloons and then he sat up sleepily. "Mornin' Spikey," was Zack's highly unusual good natured greeting, "ready for your first day of hell?" He yawned and stretched from his bed. Cloud rolled his eyes and sighed, "Well when you make it sound so appealing, I guess I am." Zack smirked. Cloud was beginning to get used to Zack's cheerful personality.

Zack stood and Cloud noticed that Zack had the tendency to sleep only in his underwear. This made Cloud a bit nervous but then again, it wasn't that bad of a habit. Cloud hadn't really experienced anything much like seeing a nearly naked male body before. When he first discovered that he was attracted to men, he had been terrified; it being something new and completely foreign to his body. Things didn't take a turn for the best, when his father discovered that he liked men. It only added fuel to the already over sided fire raging in his life already. Because of his father, he didn't really know how to respond to this kind of feeling. He'd never had a chance to crush on someone like him before. Of course he didn't know whether or not Zack liked men or not but that didn't take away from the fact that he was very attractive. Seeing as though Zack was in his second year of Shinra's program, he had a nicely toned body. His dark slightly spikey hair and tanned skin added tremendously to his appeal, not mentioning his lower physical attributes. All in all, Cloud quite attracted to his quirky roommate. Zack groaned, stretching his muscles and simultaneously snapping Cloud out of his mindless, blank, daydream, " You gonna shower or just sit there and drool at me Strife," smirked Zack. Cloud blushed a deep red and cleared his throat, "I am not drooling!" Cloud stood up and pulled on his sweats. Picking up a shoe, he threw it playfully at Zack's head, "Besides you aren't that appealing anyway." Zack laughed and grabbed them both towels from their tiny linen closet, "That appealing? So I am somewhat appealing?" Cloud smiled and shrugged. He grabbed his towel from Zack and walked past him, into the hallway. Was Zack just flirting with him? Cloud just stood there trying to piece together their recent conversation. While he was deep in thought Zack walked past him and down the hall, "You coming Strife, " he called back over his shoulder. Cloud stood there and smiled a little. He liked the way his name sounded, when Zack said it. Quickly coming back to reality Cloud muttered, "Coming," and raced off down the hall to catch up to Zack.

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When the reached the shower, Cloud's idea of taking a nice, long, private shower was brutally smashed. There weren't any private showers! Everyone on floor D showered in an open area in the middle of the showering room.

"Uhh Zack, we have a small problem," said Cloud nervously. By this time he was sweating bullets and it had nothing to do with the fact that the room was full of steam from the showers. "Problem? What kind of problem?," Zack asked when he turned around to face Cloud with the same smirk he always wore as he started to undress. "You don't have a thing about being naked in front of people, do you? Because if you do, I could always stand in front of you." This made Cloud blush harder than he ever had in his life but the steam from the shower hid it well. "Zack stop it!," Cloud whispered furiously, "this is serious! I can take a shower with all these people." Zack pulled off his shirt and turned around, "Cloud look, if you're insecure about your size…" Zack stopped mid sentence and looked down and then follow Cloud's body back up to his face with a slight smirk. "NO! It's not that at all," Cloud nearly shouted, "Look. There are certain differences between me and you. I don't…well…I'm attracted to men." There. He'd said it. He'd told his roommate he was gay. Now all that was left was him to run screaming or either punch him. Cloud's father had chosen the later of the two. But Zack did neither. He just laughed. Unzipping his pants and then stepping out of them Zack grabbed his towel and started toward the shower area, "You'd be surprise how alike we are. And if you really cant handle taking a shower with us, just wait until after the first training session, before lunch." Cloud kind of stood there with a look of astonishment on his face. Had Zack just told him he was gay too? Relieved and stunned from the new information Cloud turned and headed out of the shower and back down the hallway to wait for the breakfast bell and Zack.

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Author's Note

Better? I thought about this chapter really hard. I decided that I'm going to create some characters of my own just to add some flavor to the FF mix. Yup Zack is gay as well! But will something develop between him and Cloud? You'll just have to wait and see! ;) Thanks for reading and if you feel the need leave a review! They'll be appreciated.


	3. Fears and Greek Gods

Road to Soldier

Chapter 3

Cloud reached their room in a state of shock. He still didn't quite know what Zack had meant by that…"we were more alike than I thought…" Maybe he liked men or maybe he was just understanding of it…Cloud couldn't tell. When he opened the door he froze suddenly feeling someone's presence around him. The kind of feeling where you know that you're not alone even though you may appear to be.

Taking a step back Cloud survey the hallway. He hadn't noticed before but walking along the halls in the ShinRa dorms was unnerving and spooky as hell. The eerie silence sent shivers down his spine and he quickly walked through the open door and closed it firmly behind him. The adrenaline rush he'd experienced standing outside his room had cause beads of sweat to start forming on his forehead, so he quickly wiped them away and began to pace.

_What the hell had that been? Was I just hallucinating?_

Cloud was really nervous. Ever since he was a child he had been afraid of things he couldn't see. Back then it was his father's unpredictable mood swings, and even now as a trainee he still couldn't shack his fears.

_This was absolutey hopeless. There was no way in hell anyone in their right mind was gonna me a soilder. Even by the off chance that I was good a swordfighting or my body reacted well to mako, the exact moment someone needed me or I was put in a situation that made me uncomfortable, my ugly fears will lift their heads. This was a big mistake._

_************************************_

Just as Cloud had all but packed his bags to leave ShinRa for good, Zack returned. Immediately sensing that something wasn't quite right with the blonde he ask what was the matter.

"You look like you've just seen a ghost blondie," Zack said, noticing that the blonde was paler that usual, "what the hell happened while I was in the shower."

Keeping his eyes low to avoid any kind of eye contact with Zack, Cloud mumbled.

"I'm going home Zack. It was a mistake to come here. I'm not cut out for this."

Zack was shaken by this. Yeah he knew that the kid had a pretty disturbing past. He had acertained that much from stealing and reading his files, but there had to be something more to it than an abusive father to make someone react the way he was. Dropping the towel and trying to act as much like himself as possible so he didn't alert Cloud that he knew there was something more, Zack began to walk around and dress himself.

"I think that would be a big mistake Cloud," Zack said quietly after some time had past.

It was quite obvious that Cloud wasn't going to be forth coming with anymore information on the subject. For as much as Zack knew he had already requested dismissal. Sitting on his bed facing the blonde, who was sitting with his back against the wall staring blankly up at the bland ceiling, Zack took a deep breath. He didn't want to do anything that would make cloud even more uncomfortable than he already was, but he had to do something in order to help his friend. Though he wouldn't admit it outright, Zack had become quite fond of the little guy and wanted to do something to help ease his suffering. Clearin his throat he began.

"Cloud," he began seeing if the blonde would respond.

The only response he got was the Cloud only briefly shifted his gaze from the ceiling to his face and then quickly back to the ceiling. It seemed that Zack had gotten his attention. Where to start though? The only thing he could think would do, was t start where he knew and that was with Cloud's sexuality.

"I don't really know what's going on in that head of yours but being attracted to men isn't the end of the world. A lot of boys here at ShinRa are just like you. Hell, I'm just like you."

Zack stopped to see if what he was saying was making it through to the blonde. The only indication that Cloud was still alive was the slight rise and fall of his chest. Though he seemed nonchalant about what Zack was saying, Zack could swear he saw him blush ever so slightly. Zack continued.

"It's hardly any reason to leave. You know, if it makes you feel any better we can just go and watch training today. I'm sure the General wouldn't mind you sitting out, on account that you're new. We could be his assistants. It'd give you a chance to be there but not actually participate. You'll get acclimated with it easier that way."

Zack hadn't thought that his suggestion was that bad. On the contrary he thouht it was one of the most thoughtful things he'd ever come up with on his own. He smiled to himself on the inside. His victory was cut short though because when he looked up the blonde had turned ashen.

_What had he said? The blonde who had been as close to fine as a mental patient was practically frantic in his mind from as far as Zack could tell. What was bothering him so bad?! The mystery was driving Zack mad._

Zack wouldn't have to wait long before the reason became clear. Just as he was about to give up for the time being and begin preparing for breakfast Cloud broke into a soft sob. This startled Zack for a minute. He didn't know how to comfort anyone. The closest he'd come was sex and that could just barely be considered comforting someone. His hesitation as to what to do only lasted a second though, because right after his instinct to protect Cloud from any and everything kicked in and he rushed over and pull the blonde into a fierce hug and began to rock back and forth. This seemed so natural to Zack. But why? He didn't have long to think about his feelings towards the situation because just as soon as it began, it ended.

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Cloud felt as though he fit perfectly against Zack's nicely toned body and for a while was content to just sit there and sob and let Zack comfort him. But dread filled Cloud at the prospect of letting anyone see any kind of weakness. Besides Zack was already thinking about asking that he be excused from his first day of training. He couldn't let anyone else see him this low.

Without a warning Cloud clumsily stood up and wipe his eyes. For a moment he just stood there looking down at a bewildered Zack.

_He must think I'm crazy. He must think he has the worst look in the world to be rooming with a psycho._

"I'm sorry," was all that Cloud could think to say.

And with that he walked towards the door and turned patiently and waited for Zack to finish dressing.

They made their way to the dining hall in a silence that lasted up until they reached the training field. All the way through breakfast Cloud had noticed that Zack had been staring at him constantly and it didn't look like he cared whether or not Cloud noticed. He had a puzzled look on his face, that almost resembled worry to Cloud. Which really confused him.

_Is Zack worried about me? I have to admit, my actions this morning were pretty outrageous. He's probably thinking what's the best way of getting rid of me. But why? He had been willingly enough to comfort me when I'd almost lost it. That embrace had been blissful. It was the way that a hug should feel like. A hug that I had only experienced a few times and never from a male._

Zack brought Cloud out of his mindless walk by explaining what he would be doing today.

"Ok, blondie," said Zack stopping and turning to face his so that he coud look directly at him, "they're gonna start off with a regular, run of the mill physical. That shouldn't be too hard. After that Lt. Reno, a Turk, who'd recently resigned his post to become a soldier. He'd risen quickly through the ranks and was now helping instuct incoming newbies, will take you through a fast skills test. He'll take you from skill to skill judging and determing how you will do. Kind of like a benchmark test. Don't worry too much about it. It's just so that they'll be able to see where you came from when you take your mid-term examination. Up until that point it'll be easy for you I'd imagine, but afterwards they'll take you into the lab and give you your first doses of mako.

The blonde had heard of the substance. It enhanced the abilities of everyone who took it and reacted well to it. On the other hand there were those whose bodies rejected the substance and cause them to be sick or worse die. THAT would be the biggest deciding factor in whether or not he stayed at ShinRa. If his body reacted well to mako, his chances would improve, if only slightly, but if he rejected it, there was no hope for him. When Cloud tuned back into Zack he caught the tail end of the briefing.

"Just remember that the only final today is how you react to mako. Everything else is just water under the bridge. No sweat." Zack finished and pointed Cloud towards Lt. Reno.

_This is it. I'm finally about to begin my journey to becoming a soldier and today is the day that makes it or breaks it._

Cloud squared his shoulders, lifted his head, and marched with new found purpose towards the crowing crowd of boys. He was going to do this.

_I have to._

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When Cloud reached the ever growing pool of tense boys, he heard Lt. Reno's soft but fear stricking voice carry over the field.

"Silence."

Instantly it feel silent on the field. There were rumors that Turks were the most ruthless of all ShinRa employees. It was necessary because they carried out the compan dirty work. And even though Reno wasn't a Turk, he still retained his Turkish qualities. No one wanted to be on his bad side.

He continued.

"Well will start today by giving each one of you a physical. We here at ShinRa want to see where you all start so that we may judge where this path will end," he paused and scanned the crowd. After a moment he looked down at his clipboard.

"We'll begin with Tidus."

A tall, well built, tan boy stepped forward. It was obvious that he was one of the few who wasn't at all intimidated by Lt. Reno. Cloud found him actually stunning. Every part of his body complimented the others and he walked with such a strong sense of confidence that everyone around him seemed to dull in comparison.

Cloud chuckled to himself. Tidus was the only other boy that he had paid any kind of attention to save for Zack and he was already weak at the knees. If what Zack said was true about not being too different from a lot of the others, things could get interesting.

Cloud examined Tidus's every move as he went through his physical. It should be impossible for anyone to seemingly be this darn perfect. This had to be a joke. He was half expecting everyone to turn around and laugh at him and find out the Tidus was indeed General Tidus.

Tidus passed his physical without consequence and Reno scanned the board for his next tester.

"Cloud Strife."

"Cloud Strife."

Cloud had been too busy watching Reno that he didn't notice that his name had been called. Only when he felt a rock connect with the back of his head and turn to find Zack waving madly at him did he realize that he as the next victim of the physical. Oh boy here it comes, the first time I humiliate myself infront of my whole entire training class. Cloud took his place by Reno and as he began to call out the exercises to do, Cloud found that he could perform most of them without being winded. Apparently his surprise was evident, because when he finished his last sit up and stood, he saw Zack grinning in the back of the group.

_Well that wasn't that bad. I really wish Zack would stop smiling at me like bufoon!_

As the names were called and everyone took their physicals, they were placed in groups based on how well they had performed. Coincidently Cloud was placed in the group with Tidus.

The rest of the outdoors training continued without a hitch. Cloud was unlucky enough to be paired with Tidus when it came time to spare with swords and was beaten several times badly. Other than that. Cloud excelled just as Zack thought he would.

After what seemed like years of running. Reno called them back into a huddle.

"Ok. You've all done really well. Some of you have exceeded the expectations I'd set for you and some still have flown over the heads of others," he looked in Tidus's and Cloud's direction, "but now comes the real test. We will now to the laboratory and have each of you administered with a mako injection. Everything up to now has been child's play. This is where everything begins to count."

With that he turned on his heel and began to walk towards a huge white building behind the training fields.

Cloud started out with the rest of the boys with Tidus beside him. It made sense for the seemingly two most advanced trainees to be next to each other. Even though he was thrilled with his performance and even more that he was held in regard next to this Greek god, Tidus, he stomach became uneasy. It didn't matter how well he had done. The deciding factor was looming over the next hill.

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Author's Notes:

So how did I do? I just got my laptop so I've had more time to work on the story and the storyline. I liked the character Tidus from Final Fantasy X so I decided to add him in to the mix. I don't know yet if anything special is going to be happening between he and Cloud, but who knows. Anything is possible. Review if you feel it necessary! Thanks for reading!

P.S. Let me revise that…review so that I know you're reading. =p


	4. Mako and Tidus Who?

Cloud was losing it. If he didn't pass this exam his career as a soldier would be cut short, even before it began. So many awesome things had happened already that he didn't like the idea of having to leave.

In his frantic state, Cloud has began to hyperventilate and was drawing quite a bit of attention to himself.

"You ok Strife?" Tidus asked from beside him. Ever since they'd been called to the lab, Tidus had matched Cloud's stride so that he could walk with him. He'd been saying something about their spar but of course Cloud was too preoccupied with having a small heartattack to notice that a god was speaking to him.

"Whaa?" Stumbled Cloud, being brought out of his frantic state but a nudge from Tidus.

"Breathe bud." Tidus smiled. "It's never as bad as they make it out to be. Even if you don't react well to the mako injection, there is always spots left for you as soldier." Tidus smiled and put his arm around Cloud bring him in toward his chest, ruffling his hair playfully. Cloud noticed that Tidus had a sharp spicy smell, almost like cinnamon. Cloud breathed in deep. He really loved the way he smelled. As fast as it happened it was over and Tidus had let him go.

"Sweet." Cloud said halfheartedly. "If I'm not good enough to be a real soldier, they give me a grunt job, like guarding the town or some shit like that."

Tidus laughed out right at this.

"Yeah something like that." Tidus smirked. "My friend Auron, he stared off as a guard too. His body reacted so bad to the injection and tried so hard to reject it that it almost killed him. He was pretty upset about it. They gave him an ok guarding job and after a couple years he tried again and this time his body accepted the injection like it had been craving it." Tidus kicked a rock that was on the ground and then turned to smile a Cloud. "So you see, even if you fail this test, you can always take it again."

Cloud smiled. There was no way in hell he could tell if Tidus had been telling the truth, but who could deny that smile. Certainly not Cloud. He instantly felt better from the little pep talk and tried to pick up the conversation that Tidus had been trying to have with him earlier. The walk to the lab seemed to take minutes. Before he knew it, they were all being ushered in to the white building. Instantly all Cloud's doubts about the injection returned.

"Alright trainees, I'm going to call you one by one and each of you is going to go into the experimentation lab and receive your injection from Dr. Hojo." Reno said calmly from the front of the mass of people.

"Once you're done depending on how well you react, you will either be escorted back to the field or to the dining hall for lunch. I know a lot of you are extremely worried about this injection and you should be. This injection has claimed many lives and destroyed many careers. Be prepared for anything. Don't enter this room expecting to react well or badly. You never know what it going to happen."

He looked down at the clipboard and then scanned the mass of trainees.

"Strife. Tidus."

Cloud froze instantly. He hadn't been expecting to learn the status of his fact so soon.

"We'll start with you two first. Tidus you'll be the first out of you two to see the Dr."

Tidus walked toward the door. Before he went in he turned and gave Cloud a reassuring thumbs up. Despite Tidus's cheerful attitude the whole ordeal, Cloud was still shaking in his boots.

Time seem to drone by as slow as molasses. Cloud's palms were being to sweet with anticipation of going into that room. Cloud was beginning to slip into a mild shock when someone grabbed his hand and turned him around. Cloud opened his eyes to find Zack standing behind him beaming.

"So how'd it go Spikey?" Zack asked his expression turning to slight confusion when he noticed the little beads of sweat on Cloud's brow.

"You haven't been yet? Well that's great!"

Cloud shook his head with a look of utter bewilderment and confusion at his crazy roommate.

"I wanted to be here when you come out. I want to walk you and your little boy toy back to fields."

Cloud flushed bright red and jammed his fists into his pockets. Sometimes he just wanted to punch Zack's lights out but he knew that one: Zack was a hell of a lot stronger than he was and two: he would be too nervous now to be a formidable opponent for anyone.

Whispering fiercely and through clenched teeth Cloud replied. "He is not my boy toy! And what makes you so sure that I'll be going back to the fields anyway?"

Laughing at his friend's embarrassment, which could clearly be seen by anyone who was paying any attention to him, and his anger Zack shook his head.

"Because unlike you Blondie, I have faith in you…Besides if you don't react well to the injection I'm out a hundred bucks."

Cloud was in a state of totally shock and fury.

"You bet on how well I would do?"

Cloud sputtered.

"What in the hell were you thinking Zack!? I have half a mind to quit and not even get the injection so that your sorry ass will lose by default."

"Whoa whoa whoa there Spikey! I have total confidence in you. After watching you spar with the other blonde hottie, I figured you're a shoe in."

Zack shrugged.

"No one ever does that good in the prelims and react bad to mako. It just doesn't happen."

"Zack I'm going to…wait what? You think I did…GOOD today?"

Cloud was shaken by the unexpected compliment and decided that though he was furious with Zack he would let it go for now. After all, the last thing he wanted was to make a scene in front of the whole entire trainee squad.

"Hell yeah Spikey!" Zack grabbed his shoulders with enthusiasm.

"You stuck the fasted and best trainee in the troupe. If you don't react well there's no hope for anyone."

Cloud smiled. This really mad him feel better, but in the mist of all these good feelings he thought of a question.

"Zack, what's so special about Tidus? Ever since today started, Reno's been watching him as if expecting something extraordinary."

Zack looked around to make sure no one was paying attention to the conversation he and the blonde were having and then leaned in closer to his companion.

"Now I don't know this for sure and for all you know I could be as mad as hatters but there have been rumors circulating that Tidus is related to Sephiroth… that he's his brother to be more exact."

Zack clamped his hand over Cloud's mouth just as he was about to exclaimed and whatever profound statement that Cloud was about to make was lost in the palm of his hand.

The look Zack gave Cloud next was of measured intensity. It was obvious to Cloud that this was information that not everyone knew. If they did…there would be no hope for Tidus. He'd be a constant victim of expectations and epic failures.

Once Zack was sure that Cloud was in control of himself he released him and nodded his approval to continue.

"WHAT!?" Whispered Cloud as quietly and vehemently.

This was a complete and totally 180. Sephiroth and Tidus looked nothing alike. There was no way that they could be related in any way shape or form. It just wasn't possible.

"How could Sephiroth have a brother? If he had, Hojo would have documented that in his journals. Hell he would have experimented with Mako on both Sephiroth and Tidus." Cloud stopped to catch his breath.

"This just can NOT be a possibility!"

Zack glanced around that make sure everyone was still engrossed in their own doings and turned back to Cloud.

"No of this is for sure information. Last time I went to the President's office for the usual, I walked in on him talking to one of the Turks about it." Zack stared off into space for a spell, contemplating what all of this could mean.

Cloud suddenly brightened. He knew the answer to this.

"Zack! Hojo did experiment on Tidus!" Cloud whispered excitedly.

"What? How do you know? Questioned Zack. Frowning at the blonde momentarily for the sudden burst of energy and enthusiasm.

"Don't you see?" Continued Cloud. "On the way here, Tidus had been telling me that it was ok if I didn't react well to the mako injection today because in a couple of years or even months my body would have adapted to the injection and used what little I had had to fuel my body. If I were to take the injection again, I would react better than those who initially reacted well."

Zack scuffed at this. "How does he know that? There is nothing in ShinRa that proves that stat…."

Cloud and Zack both turned toward each other with mouths agape and nodded once. It all made perfect sense. The reason why Tidus knew that mako was an injection that was adaptable to the body is because that is what happened to his body. It was so clear now.

Cloud squealed. "That's how he knew Zack! It happened to him!"

Zack just stood there with his mouth agape staring at something.

"Zack? What the hell man! What's wrong with you?" Cloud was beginning to get frantic. They had figured out the mystery behind Tidus and he was acting like he was totally oblivious.

In the next instant Cloud wished that he could have been oblivious to the whole thing. He turned around to find the very subject of the conversation standing right behind him and judging by the blank stare on his face, he'd been there long enough to hear enough to invoke some sort of emotion.

"Uhh…Tidus" Cloud began, frantically groping for anything to make the moment less awkward.

"I didn't mean to…" Cloud didn't get to finish what he was saying because at that very moment Reno called his name signaling that it was time for him to face his fate.

Cloud dropped his head and tried to dig a hole through the shiny marble floor with his eyes. He glanced briefly back up at Tidus's face trying to discern what was going on in his head.

Tidus was the first to speak.

"I suppose you'd better go Strife. Wouldn't want to keep my father waiting now would you?" With that Tidus rushed pasted Cloud practically running towards the exit.

"Strife, you're next!" Reno shouted from the front of the room.

Shooting a quick glance at Tidus's fast retreating figure he mechanically made his way through the crowd of people who were now staring at him and whispering about the odd scene that had just played out before them.

Without stopping to acknowledge that fact that he hadn't been paying attention and had caused a ruckus, Cloud walked right past Reno and into the examination room.

_Who cared what happened now._

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"Damnit!" Thought Tidus furiously as he half ran half walked back toward the fields.

He'd successfully reacted to the mako very well, like he knew he would. The energy that coursed through his veins was more of a bother than welcome feeling. Now that people were starting to realize the truth, there would be no end to the constant horror of being a member of the ShinRa Corp. His only hope was to get out of there while he still had the time….before Cloud told anyone else of his dark past.

"HEY! TIDUS WAIT!" Gasped Zack, who was a couple hundred feet behind him.

Because of the mako injection, Tidus was moving faster than normal for any human male and that was making it hard for Zack to catch him.

Now there was a dilemma.

_Should I stop? The worst thing that could come from this is have him blackmail me or have him tell EVERYONE that I'm Sephiroth's brother._

Deciding that the options would be way more favorable for him if he kept up the pace, Tidus accelerated slightly widening the gap between him and the gasping figure behind him in the distance.

Suddenly though the earth around him erupted and he was thrown to the ground violently, "What the hell?!" Screamed Tidus.

Zack had realized that there would be no catching Tidus in his accelerated state so he evened the playing field. Though Tidus had just received his mako injection and his body was using the new substance quickly, he was still a first year trainee and knew nothing of materia and its many uses.

Tidus tried to rise slowly but feel back onto the ground winded. While he lay there catching his breath, Zack unfortunately caught up with him.

"What the hell man? Why were you running?" Zack practically shouted down at him.

Tidus was pretty sure that if Zack wasn't so worked up he wouldn't have been screaming so loud. To Tidus that sounded like heaven because he was starting to have a terrible head ache.

Groggily Tidus sat up. "What do you want? Now that you know I have to leave."

The reaction that Zack gave shocked Tidus. He had been expecting an onslaught of questions about his brother and father while at the same time demanding him to stay.

"Well that makes sense. If we were to tell, life for you here would pretty much be hell." Zack whispered with a smirk.

He looked at Tidus and laughed openly at the trainee's astonished face.

"What? You thought that we would tell?! Now Tidus you should know better!"

Zack watched as Tidus stood and looked around the field. He could see that the shaggy haired blonde was contemplating this very carefully. A lot counted on his decision to stay here.

"Look if it makes you feel any better Cloud is head over heels for ya." Zack smirked and then turned on his heel. Calling back over his shoulder he added.

"You might want to go and check up on him. He looked pretty upset when you stormed off."

With that Zack left with an additional glance over his shoulder and the dumbstruck Tidus.

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Tidus just stood there for what seemed like forever and then ran full speed back toward the lab.

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**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

**Hey guys this chapter took awhile. I'm trying to get the hang of it and I think it's going pretty well. Thanks for reading. Cloud and Tidus are going to have more interesting encounters. I can't wait to start writing about it! Review!!**


	5. Mako and Tidus Who? Part 2

evidence that Cloud or Zack would tell anyone about the secret and according to Zack, there was even a less chance that Cloud would do anything to harm him. It was hard for Tidus to wrap his mind around the fact that Cloud liked him. It made him giddy inside just to think about it. At the present moment however, Tidus raced back to the laboratory. He admitted that he had overreacted just a tiny bit. There wasn't any the newfound information filled him with terror. The thought of loosing Cloud consumed every corner of his mind and it drove him to reach to lab as quickly as possible. Tidus pumped his legs back and forth faster and faster, striking the earth with more force with every long stride. There were moments where he even thought he saw pieces of the earth chip away from the ground. It wasn't hard to believe. The mako was running through his veins and making every fiber of his being better than the average man.

Suddenly, as Tidus made it to the top of the hill he was now running up, the laboratory came into view. Seeing the laboratory seemed to send adrenaline coursing through his veins andc he got faster still.

When he finally reached the entrance to the lab he didn't slow down. He burst through the doors and pushed his way through the seeing of other trainees to the front of the line. Still standing there was Reno.

"Where is he," gasped Tidus frantically. Instantly he reprimanded himself. He should show more composure than this around his peers and superior officers like Reno, but all he could think about was getting to Cloud as fast as he could.

Without showing any kind of alarm or surprise at the fact that the shaggy haired blonde was back, Reno looked up and replied calmly, "When you say "he" Tidus, who are you referring to? If you haven't noticed, there are a lot of he's around here."

Blushing furiously at the sting of the sarcasm dripping from Reno's lips, Tidus tried to redeem himself a little.

"Sorry sir," he said with a salute, "when I said "he" I was referring to the trainee Cloud Strife."

Reno, who had since redirected his attention to the clipboard in his hand, replied without looking up.

"He left a few moments ago, heading back towards the fields. He had a really successful reaction to the injection. Hojo didn't seemed too surprised."

Tidus had stopped listening already. Cloud was headed towards the fields and that was all he cared about. Respect for his superior was the only thing keeping him in the lobby, once Reno seemed to have nothing else to say he bolted out of the door to the training fields.

Cloud felt amazing. At first the injection made him feel like his blood was boiling, but after that subsided the only thing that was left was raw energy. Eager to burn it off, he sprinted toward the fields. Zack had been right. There was nothing at all to worry about. The mako made him feel like he was invincible.

The only thing that darkened his mood was the fact that Tidus was gone. How could he have been so dumb. Tidus had heard everything and he didn't seem too happy to find out that Cloud knew his secret. That confused Cloud to no end. He wouldn't ever dream of telling anyone that Tidus was related to Sephiroth. Thinking about that awful moment only made Cloud pump his muscles harder and before he knew it, he was back at the training fields.

He looked around and to his surprise no one was there. Not even the 2nd years. Cloud looked up at the sun and its position in the sky. It was too early for dinner. So where was everyone?

Cloud shrugged. He had too much energy to just stand around. He headed straight towards the sparring shed and picked up a wooden weapon. It felt every better in his hands than it had earlier. Mako was truly an amazing thing. Everything seemed better to him. His body was a lethal weapon right now.

All the energy of the injection coupled with the pain he was feeling for loosing Tidus helped Cloud throw himself into his drills. He attacked the dummy with everything he had and there were times where he thought he'd actually beheaded the sand filled target. Faster and harder he slashed at the target until finally he was exhausted. He looked at the sky again. He had been there for almost two hours straight practicing his swordsmanship. Satisfied he headed toward the shed to replace the weapon and go to dinner.

Cloud closed the door to the shed and turned to leave only to find Tidus standing behind him.

Cloud opened his mouth but no sound came out. The relief of seeing Tidus standing before him rendered him senseless. Cloud just stood there staring at him he was so happy, so happy in fact that he felt like fainting. Cloud gasped. He had been holding his breath.

Tidus was the first to speak.

"Cloud", he said softly, taking a step toward him.

Hearing Tidus's voiced seemed to turn Cloud's brain back out because everything that was running through his mind came out at that very moment.

"Tidus! I'm so sorry," he exclaimed, closing the small distance between him and the boy he'd thought was gone forever, "I would never tell anyone you were Sephiroth's brother! I understand how hard things would be for you..and besides you're my friend…and I care about my friends…that's what my friends at home used to say…they said that I was very caring…please don't leave...I don't think I would be able to handle ShinRa if you left."

Tidus said nothing. He just stood there starring down at Cloud.

Everyting had come out so fast. Tidus probably hadn't even understood a word he'd said. Cloud kicked himself mentally. He had just made a fool of himself. There was no way anything was going to happen between Tidus and himself.

Cloud had all but given up. Just as he was about to leave, Tidus took a step towards him and wrapped his arms around him and just stood there in silence.

At first Cloud just stood there shocked. Was Tidus hugging him? Finally the gears in his head began to turn and he curled his arms tightly around Tidus's waist and just stood there in the silence. Everything that he wanted to say to Tidus, he tried to communicate through the hug and he sense that that was enough. Tidus understood.


End file.
